Middle-aged spread dramatically raises the risk of digestive system cancers, researchers have warned.
The threat of a tumour developing in the stomach or liver soars 13 per cent for every extra unit of body mass index (BMI), according to a study.
And the likelihood of gullet and pancreatic cancer also increases by 10 and 6 per cent respectively.
Obesity is a major factor in all four types of the disease – and shedding the pounds can help prevent them, scientists said.
The study, carried out by British and Swedish researchers, analysed more than 350,000 people from the UK Biobank database.
They found that being tall was associated with a greater risk of all cancers investigated.